Fitchburg Man Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was sentenced today on enticement of a minor and child pornography charges in federal court in Worcester.  

Ryan Decarolis, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 38 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. The government recommend a sentence of 85 years in prison.

In September 2020, Decarolis pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Decarolis has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 2, 2019.

Decarolis admitted that he used a social media account to communicate with an individual who was subsequently charged with production and distribution of child pornography. With the consent of that individual, an undercover federal agent assumed control of that individual’s account and began communicating in an undercover capacity with Decarolis. In January 2019, Decarolis distributed child pornography to the undercover officer, and in April 2019, Decarolis provided the undercover officer with access to his Dropbox account, which contained hundreds of images and videos depicting child pornography. Included in that material was at least one video that depicted Decarolis sexually assaulting a young boy. 

In August 2019, during a search of Decarolis’s Fitchburg residence, agents seized a tablet belonging to Decarolis that contained additional videos depicting child pornography. A second Dropbox account used by Decarolis was also discovered that contained videos depicting the sexual exploitation of several children. Included within that material were numerous images and videos that Decarolis produced himself, some of which depicted Decarolis separately sexually assaulting at least three boys under the age of 12 and a fourth boy who was 12 years old.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.